Family Reunion: A Hawkeye Sketchbook

Reunions can be fun times to catch up with longtime friends, but they can get more complicated when someone’s trying to kill the gathered parties.

That’s the situation Kate Bishop and Clint Barton find themselves in on December 6 with HAWKEYE #13 by Kelly Thompson and Leonardo Romero. Kate intends to ask Clint to assist in finding out about her mom, but he’s got a problem of his own—namely a huge target on his back that sends them both on the run through Los Angeles.

We talked with Romero about bringing these two allies back together, updating Eden’s look for the modern era, and working with Thompson!

Marvel.com: How would you say Kate and Clint react to seeing each other when they first meet up?

Leonardo Romero: Like they’ve never been apart. Clint and Kate are great together and even though they were not around each other this whole time, it doesn’t feel that way.

Marvel.com: The two Hawkeyes obviously use similar weapons and fighting styles, but how do they handle themselves differently, both in quieter moments and in the more action-packed ones?

Leonardo Romero: In terms of personality, Kate is very sassy and full of attitude while Clint can be really laid back. I believe that their [different] personalities is one of the reasons why it is so great to see them together.

In action, I see them both as improvisers. Kate thinks more and scans the environment for alternatives and things that can help her out. Clint kind of figures things out on the way, not planning further than the next action.

Marvel.com: Speaking of action, it sounds like this story features a lot of it as both Hawkeyes wind up under the gun and on the run. What kind of challenges does that kind of tale offer?

Leonardo Romero: Planning the action scenes is always an extra challenge. Both Hawkeyes tend to deal with these situations using everything they can. So a lot of times it’s not only about planning the action itself but also the environment, so everything that they end up using is placed there correctly.

Marvel.com: What can you tell us about Eden and the process that went into designing her modern look?

Leonardo Romero: Eden already appeared [in GENERATIONS: HAWKEYE & HAWKEYE]—which [took] place in the past—as a younger version of herself. Creating her look for the present timeline in HAWKEYE was basically taking the original concept of the character—blue hair, lightning powers, and all of that—and trying to imagine how it would look nowadays in a modern approach. So I looked through a lot designs for Marvel’s [heroes] and villains and tried to come up with something my own.

Marvel.com: How has it been working with Kelly on the series up to this point?

Leonardo Romero: It’s been amazing! Our collaboration is one of the best parts of the book. It’s always a pleasure to work with her.

Kelly Thompson and Leonardo Romero stage a family reunion beginning in HAWKEYE #13 on December 6!

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Leonardo Romero Takes Aim at Kate Bishop

Published Dec 5, 2016
By Tj Dietsch

The Hawkeye artist opens his sketchbook for a look at life as a private investigator in L.A.!

Kate Bishop plans to strike out solo. That means she’s not only moving, but also taking on her own solo title with HAWKEYE. The series launches next week from Kelly Thompson and Leonardo Romero and transplants Kate to Los Angeles where she intends to put her private investigator’s license to work.

We talked with Romero about getting Hawkeye’s costume just right, working her into the City of Angeles, and the potential pitfalls of PI work in the Marvel Universe!

Marvel.com: What is it about Kate Bishop and her role as Hawkeye that appeals to you as an artist?

Leonardo Romero: Definitely her personality. Finding the best way to portray Kate’s attitude in body language or facial expressions is always fun.

Marvel.com: Kate’s always had a unique way of seeing the world; does that come through in the art?

Leonardo Romero: Kate has a much sharper perception than normal people. So, she can see elements and small details that would go unnoticed in our eyes. To represent this, we developed this “Hawkeye Vision” where we use bullseyes as a graphic element to show us the points of interest that Kate is seeing in an apparently common scene.

Marvel.com: Kate’s Hawkeye costume in the book seems both functional and stylish. Was there a lot of back and forth in coming up with the look?

Leonardo Romero: Actually no. I think that the previous design is just so strong and I love it so much that I preferred to add small details to it instead of changing. So, of course there [are] some minor differences, but the best parts were already there.

Marvel.com: In the book, Kate’s heading to L.A. Do you enjoy mixing the real world elements of that city with the Marvel version?

Leonardo Romero: Sure; L.A. itself is such an amazing city to draw, especially Venice Beach. Mixing that with some fictional elements certainly makes it more pleasant to me as an artist.

Marvel.com: Kate’s working as a PI these days. Does that put her more on the street level as far as her adventures go or will she be kicking up trouble on a larger scale?

Leonardo Romero: Yeah, I think working as [a] PI and trying to help normal people naturally puts her more in an urban scenario and street level as well. But you never know, sometimes a small problem can unfold into a very large one.

Marvel.com: How has it been working with Kelly so far?

Leonardo Romero: Working with Kelly has been amazing. It’s really cool to work with someone who not only understands the characters so well, but also gives them a lot of personality and makes them reliable. Plus, she’s super cool and kind, so it’s been amazing.

Kelly Thompson and Leonardo Romero hit the mark with HAWKEYE #1 on December 14!